Hump Day Husbandos: Metal Bat (One Punch Man)
One Punch Man is a manga and anime that offers something for everyone. Or rather, there is someone for everyone in it. Since its art style greatly differs for each and every character along with many (or all) of its elements working to deconstruct shōnen tropes, One Punch Man never fails to deliver something exciting and refreshing. It’s quite the notable series in that regard, but we don’t have time for all that – instead I want to focus on one character in particular for today’s Hump Day Husbando piece.
Of course it’s with its supposed delinquent of a hero, Metal Bat.
Who is Metal Bat?
Surprising no-one, Metal Bat was always my favourite character from One Punch Man and was the only reason I gave the anime a watch in the first place. Metal Bat, also addressed as Bad (this being his actual name) is an S-Class Hero – the best of the best.
As his hero name suggests, he uses a metallic baseball bat as his weapon of choice when carrying out his hero duties. This youthful hunk of a delinquent should not be taken at face value, however, and we mean that in more ways than one.
Expressing the exact kinds of behavioural traits one can expect from the archetype that he represents, Metal Bat is as headstrong as he is hot-blooded. It’s all to be assumed with one glance of his appearance, but what tends to get easily overlooked is his hidden soft side.
Why we love him
A lot of this is actually quite easy to identity from his choice of actions alone. For example, he has always been heroic, as can be seen from the level of sheer threats he was facing and whooping back when he was just a C-Class hero. His bravery (or cockiness, it’s either or) is demonstrated by his unflinching ability to challenge those ranked above him.
Speaking of he happens to actually be seemingly rather normal compared to the more unconventional heroes who stand out in the series. The guy is, humorously, quite simple minded even. His go-to method whenever a crisis is happening is to simply swing and connect his bat to the problem at hand. Such behaviour really lends itself to one of the biggest reasons he’s always been such a great character.
Why you will love him
As a character from the exceptionally over-the-top and silly One Punch Man, Metal Bat is just as goofy as everyone else. He is comedic in nature which is intentionally juxtaposed with his delinquent character design. He’s been rocking the pompadour haircut for years now, but the most defining characteristic of his is his undying loyalty to tending to both his own sister and pet cat – that they always come first over any hero duty speaks volumes to his true nature.
He’s also surprisingly considerate to those under him, as shown by how he encourages others who are ranked below him. He happens to also have really sound morals as, even during combat, he avoids attacking those unarmed or already injured. Even if it’s Garou, which is something we will forever be grateful for, since the addition of the sudden surprise of the bromance between them is a beautiful sight indeed.
Since Metal Bat is all and brawn no brains for the most part, he’s obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed, but what he lacks for in intellect he makes up for with his sheer, unbridled determination. In fact, the entire point of his particular fighting style is that the more attacks he withstands, even when the blow knocks him down completely, the stronger he gets. So while his ordinarily basic bats would end up always breaking on him, his endurance when it comes to both his physical and mental prowess (something he eventually calls “fighting spirit”) makes him a true force to be reckoned with.
Haven’t seen the show yet? Give it a go via Crunchyroll now.
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